Hong Geun Park Proposed a Final Deal to Seongdong Kwon, Retracted After 1 Hour
Seongdong Kwon: "Democratic Party's Delay in Negotiating Committee Formation Aimed at Dropping Lee Jae-myung's Lawsuits"
[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Negotiations for the formation of the National Assembly between the ruling and opposition parties have reached a deadlock. Although there were proposals for a meeting between the floor leaders of both parties, Park Hong-geun, the floor leader of the Democratic Party, withdrew the meeting proposal after it was confirmed that Kwon Seong-dong, the floor leader of the People Power Party, mentioned demands for the withdrawal of lawsuits related to Lee Jae-myung, a Democratic Party member, during the last presidential election.
On the 22nd, Park proposed a final negotiation with Kwon during the emergency committee meeting held at the National Assembly but later withdrew it. Earlier at the emergency committee, he said, "I propose to meet with Floor Leader Kwon today to have an open and sincere discussion," adding, "I want to confirm whether the ruling party truly has any sincerity in the fundamental principles of normalizing the legislature, that is, reforming the National Assembly and restoring relations between the ruling and opposition parties."
Park Hong-geun, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the Emergency Measures Committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 22nd and delivering opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@
However, the situation reversed after it was understood that Floor Leader Kwon, in a congratulatory speech at the founding seminar of the party's internal lawmakers' group 'Saemirae' held before the Democratic Party's emergency committee, claimed that the formation negotiations were a political strategy by the Democratic Party to save Lee Jae-myung.
Park asked, "Is this the kind of thing you say to your negotiation partner?" and questioned, "In a situation where more effort, persuasion, and concessions are needed, is this the proper attitude of the ruling party?" He criticized, "How can attacking with falsehoods against the opposition's sincere efforts be anything but a complete lack of sincerity for the normalization of the National Assembly?"
He mentioned, "The only fact related to this issue is that at the Cheonan ship memorial in April, Lee Jun-seok, the People Power Party leader, asked how to handle the lawsuits and accusations from the presidential election, saying he would consult the party affairs committee, not the floor, and after confirming with Jin Seong-jun, the Democratic Party's chief deputy floor leader who conducted the formation negotiations, not even Lee Jae-myung's name came up."
Kim Ki-hyun, a member of the People Power Party, is talking with Floor Leader Kwon Seong-dong at the 'Innovation 24 New Future' forum held at the National Assembly on the 22nd. 'Innovation 24 New Future' is a study group of People Power Party members organized by Kim Ki-hyun. On this day, they invited former Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik to give a lecture on the topic of 'Challenges of the Era, Social Integration, and Political Advancement.' Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@
Earlier, Floor Leader Kwon stated regarding the formation negotiations, "(The Democratic Party) is demanding conditions unrelated to the formation of the National Assembly that we cannot accept, thereby prolonging the conflict," and said, "They want to mutually withdraw lawsuits and accusations from the presidential election, all related to Lee Jae-myung," adding, "This is a political strategy to save Lee."
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